1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of grinding machines, and more specifically, those used to grind a beveled surface in a sheet of glass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Glass beveling at the hands of a master shapes and transforms a transparent substance into an extraordinary achievement. In years past, polished cuts could only de done by a master who understood his material and caressed its beauty with careful hands. Today's masters of the art of beveling glass are few, while the commercial demands for this product continue to expand. To retain the essence of this craft, and to allow greater numbers of workers to become skilled in beveling glass, the glass beveling machine disclosed herein was developed. The glass beveling machine is equally versatile as a high volume production unit or to make those occasional shapes for custom order and repairs. The machine fills the unique position of combining the irregular shape capability and variation of finish of traditional wheels with the accuracy and skill free effort of straight line bevelers.
The glass beveling machine disclosed herein allows the operator to quickly move the sheet to be beveled horizontally across a table and against a downwardly facing grinding surface. The operator therefore does not have to force the sheet being beveled downwardly against a grinding wheel as is the case in the beveling device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,915 issued to Kindig. It is known to provide a downwardly facing grinding surface such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,288 issued to Barron; however, the prior art structures do not provide for ease and reliability of use. Another glass beveling machine by Barron is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,938. In many cases, the prior art structures do not allow the operator to see the surface being ground nor do they allow the operator to extend the sheet to be ground against the grinding wheel from any position surrounding the bevel wheel axis of rotation. Likewise, the means for directing lubricant against the surface being ground impedes or restricts the motion of the sheet to be ground against the grinding wheel. The liquid lubricant in the machine disclosed herein is direct upwardly through the drive shaft and then outwardly against the sheet being beveled. Directing a liquid through a shaft is known such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,931 issued to Voorhies. In view of the many limitations of the prior machines, I have designed and disclose herein a beveling machine having a downwardly facing grinding surface which allows the operator to direct the sheet being ground against the wheel at any position surrounding the wheel axis of rotation. In addition, the machine distributes lubricant against the surface being ground regardless of the location of the sheet relative to the wheel as the sheet is moved inwardly against the wheel.
In order to maintain accurate and repeated sizing of the beveled surface, it is necessary to accurately locate the grinding surface with respect to the table top. In many cases, this spacing or gap must be changed depending on the sizing of the thickness of the sheet. The drive train of the machine disclosed herein provides reliable adjustment means which is easily utilized to mount the grinding wheel on a rotatable drive shaft facilitating the accurate control of the gap. A number of prior patents have been granted to allow various items to be secured to a shaft. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,719,689 issued to Buehler 3,042,094 issued to Liljeberg, 3,464,164 issued to Blohn, and 2,526,208 issued to Dowick.